Meeting On The Planet
by Black-Haired Girl
Summary: Sequel to "Little Shinigami and Solo"; Duo and Heero meet during Operation Meteor. Duo realizes that the boy he had met years before on L2 has changed. Can they still be friends?
1. Chapter 1

((Revised: July 9, 2008- Any original dialogue will be signified in bold. Thanks!))

* * *

"No more hiding! Let's get dangerous!" Duo yelled. He slammed a balled fist against the control panel, de-activating his suit's cloaking device. With a series of commands Gundam Deathsycthe's large, black bat-like wings fanned out behind him. His scythe sprang to life and glowed an ominous neon green. The pathetic Leos he had ambushed didn't have a chance. Within minutes the opposition became nothing more than a pile of smoking debris.

"Heh… that was easier than I thought it was gonna be." Duo muttered to himself, half disappointed at the anticlimactic battle he had just participated in. "Oh well. Guess I was too much for 'em." He tapped a few buttons on the pulsing control panel before him and spoke loudly into the receiver. "This is Duo Maxwell reporting mission assignment 001 complete. Awaiting new orders." Then he logged off of the system and leaned back into his seat. His eyes scanned the flickering screens that flanked the interior of the cockpit. The images of fire and aftermath of massacre shone brightly through the screens. The corner of his mouth perked in a smile of accomplishment.

"Okay, Earth. I'm finally here. Bring it on."

**Meeting on the Planet**

Chapter One: Someday You and I Will Be Taking Off…

**"All areas functioning. Will commence operations in seven minutes." **

_This trajectory is going to be rough…_ Heero thought as his deep blue eyes scanned over some of the atmospheric entry analysis. _This transport pod won't be able to handle the turbulence along with the heat of entry…_ His thin fingers began tapping absently at the controls, commanding the computer to recalculate the route. It began to load a new system but then reverted back to the original plan. Heero's eyebrow twitched.

_So they want me to come this way for a reason…_ He scanned the surrounding space.

**"A civilian shuttle..."**

He was coming within range of a civilian transportation shuttle. If they saw him it would compromise his mission. Was this part of the plan?

His eyebrow was practically having a seizure over a dark, narrowed eye. "I have to get out of here. Now. Before they see me." He attempted to override the transportation pod's autopilot but it was no use. It had been securely protected.

_Damn them. I am not going to be so easily manipulated, _he decided wryly. Then he smiled to himself and began flipping a few switches beneath the control panel. His mobile suit began to shudder as its engines warmed up. The cameras all flared to life to reveal the dull gray interior of the transportation pod. An alarm sounded on the radar.

He was getting dangerously close to the civilian transport shuttle. If he didn't do something soon they would detect him. The engines were at 70 percent. He knew that was all the thrust he would need to get out of their range. He strapped himself securely in his seat, slid his helmet over his thick mass of messy brown hair and grabbed the control levers.

**"Relative speed to target: 01545. Engaging auto lock. Ready to shoot the obstacle down."**

_3…2…1…_

Then he stomped on the thruster pedal. The engines flared to life and shot white-hot heat against the interior of the pod. The bright light filled the screens and blinded the suit's heat-detection scanners. For a brief moment nothing happened, but then with a violent shake the suit lurched forward and broke free from the pod. The panels broke loose and scattered in all directions as his suit tore through the hull and out into the darkness of space.

Then the radar buzzed and began to pulse a bright red.

**"Earth's assault carrier?"**

_Fuck. Detected._ He looked down at the radar and saw that he had drifted in range of the civilian shuttle. Another blip appeared on the screen. He scanned it.

His eyes widened in confusion. _What are they doing out here in space?_ He sucked in a frustrated breath and without another thought turned up his boost as high as it would go. The engines had dropped to a mere 65 percent of operational status. It would have to work. He didn't have time. The OZ shuttle had begun changing its direction to pursue him.

**"The Alliance is already onto me. Dammit." **

The boosters lagged before shuddering to life, sending his suit, which was still in its shuttle-like bird-mode, careening towards Earth. As it entered the atmosphere it began to shake violently. The external temperature sensors began to reflect readings of over 2,000 degrees and they were still climbing.

**"I'm finally here. I've made it to the Earth."**

The radar pinged something heading quickly towards him. He scanned it. _An OZ mobile suit!? _He grit his teeth and hissed angrily, "Give me a damn break!

**"I'll escape. No prob."**

Suddenly a screen to his left sprang to life and a message began flashing on its glowing surface. His eyes narrowed and he grit his teeth in annoyance.

**"Alter mission? That craft is carrying OZ mobile suits! Judging by its speed, there's probably three suits on board." **

His original mission was to get to Earth at a predetermined spot undetected. Obviously he couldn't accomplish that goal. He would have to act.

**"Roger that, Mission. I'll return right now to shoot down the OZ carrier."**

With a slam of a hand the thrusters powered down. He began changing the coordinates in his navigation system when his suit shook violently. Once, then twice. A module on the control panel began to alarm frantically.

**"****Left drive system malfunctioning. He's good!"** Heero saw the Leo in pursuit of him, along with two Aries suits.

_You will regret this…_ Then commanded his mobile suit to transform. It turned around and the large sheets of thick gundanium began to detach and swivel. Within thirty seconds the shuttle-like appearance had been shed for the form of a human-type mobile suit, Gundam 01. Then he turned his suit quickly and began powering up his beam cannon. The tip of the cannon began to pulse with bright yellow light. A green bar flashed on the control screen. Heero grinned, then fired. The light shot across the darkness of space and struck both Aries suits. Once the light faded away the two suits had vanished, leaving nothing more than vapor in their wake.

**"One more to go."**

Quickly Heero scanned his radar. The Leo had made chase and was now close behind him. He knew that the OZ pilot was a formidable opponent. The Leo pilot had managed to take out his left drive systems in two well-aimed shots. He had yet to battle in his Gundam against any real opponents before now. All of his mobile suit sparring had been done in simulation. This pilot he now faced matched the higher difficulty level of his simulator.

As they entered Earth's gravitational pull the OZ suit used Heero's Gundam's massive bulk as a shield against the burn of atmospheric entry, causing damage to Wing Gundam's external control to weaken.

_Shit… this isn't going to end well._ Heero thought to himself as he warred with the other mobile suit. They cleared the harsh external stratosphere and mesosphere and were now entering Earth's primary atmosphere.

_If I can transform now I can outrun him._ He tapped in the proper input for transformation into bird-mode but his suit didn't respond. The damage to the external module was too extreme. Just as he was calculating an alternative plan something unexpected happened. The OZ suit grasped tightly onto his Gundam, tangling itself against Wing's extremities.

Heero immediately realized what had been done. He was rendered immobile by the enemy suit. He didn't have the thrust to fly away with the added weight and his maneuvering mechanisms were jammed by the well-executed tangle of metal arms and legs. His external camera caught the flash of a parachute being deployed.

_The other pilot evacuated. _He stopped trying to fight the inevitable. With a defeated sigh he relaxed against the back of his seat and closed his eyes. _Mission failure._ He slid open a small panel on the side of his seat and pressed the small red button there. Then he waited. Nothing happened. His eyes opened and he looked around himself at the radar monitors and screens that lined the cockpit. Nothing.

_My self-destruct mechanism has been damaged as well._ He frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. His eyes searched out the control unit in front of him. _Maybe the impact of landing on Earth will activate it. At least… it will kill me so I won't have to endure this hell any longer._ He brought up a small readout on the corner of the main camera. _Great… the ocean._

At that moment his suit slammed into the water, along with the attached OZ mobile suit. After impact it floated for a moment before sinking slowly into the dark, cold depths of the sea.

Once it reached the bottom it landed with a mute thud. The monitors within the cockpit flickered once, twice, then died leaving Heero in total darkness. The occasional bubbling sound of air escaping into the water was the only noise that he could detect.

He sat for a moment in silence and listened to the hum of the sea.

"I hate Earth…" He whispered angrily to himself. After a few moments of silence he had caught his breath. He groped around in the darkness for something under his seat. A flashlight. Once he retrieved it he flicked it on. Its wide, yellow beam revealed the dark screens and powerless inner workings of his Gundam.

_This isn't how this was supposed to be…_ he reflected solemnly. He turned the flashlight's glow down to his feet and opened a small hidden hatch where he kept his personal belongings. He pulled forth a small piece of paper from within the hatch. It was a photograph. His dark eyes settled on the smiling face in the photo. Then he set it aside and pulled out his old SIG-SAUER hand gun from the shadow of the hidden hatch and held it up to his face.

"I would end this now… but I can't let them have my Gundam." He said softly. His eyes slid from the gun to the photograph he had set on the control panel. "You made it to Earth…" he whispered, his other hand moving to finger the photo gently. "I'm sorry I won't get to see you in action."

Heero set the gun on his lap. Then he grabbed the photograph and wedged the corner of it in a small groove at the bottom of the control panel so that it stood upright and was easy to see. He held the flashlight up and let the round halo of golden light shine on the glossy picture. He sat for a long time staring at it.

"I'm sorry, Duo." He whispered.

The flashlight dimmed. Then it died.

* * *

((Author Note: The inspiration for this second half of "Little Shinigami and Solo" is based off of the translated lyrics of "Meeting on the Planet", by TWO-MIX which first appeared on their album "Rhythm Generation" (1996).

These lyrics will be posted as chapter titles.

**MEETING ON THE PLANET**

**TWO-MIX**

"Someday you and I will be taking off  
Looking for the place where we smile again  
Time is round around  
Here today so we say good-by to all we used to have  
Someday you and I will be reaching out  
To each other for love forevermore  
Change is round around  
Here today so we stay to be like how we used to be

Come with me to the star on your wing in your dream  
It's now for departure  
Take you out to the place that we can be alone  
It's far and far away

Just!! meeting on the planet  
Makes me feel so brave to be free there  
Meeting myself who I know best  
If I can be for my own  
Just dancing in the stardust  
This is what you've got to believe in  
Give me your hand, don't be afraid  
Filling your heart with my love

One day you and I got together, once  
Longing for the life that we spent before  
Time is round around  
Here today so we say hello and get in love again

One night you and I got together, once  
Looking up the sky that we had before  
Time is round around  
Here tonight but I wish to be with you over again

Come with me to the door for the world in my dream  
It's now for departure  
Take you out to the time that we can be alone  
It's far and far away

Just!! meeting on the planet  
Makes me feel relieved to be going to  
Run on my feet, on the big ground  
If I can be for my own  
Just!! dancing in the stardust  
This is what you've got to remember  
Give you myself, won't be afraid  
Filling my heart with your love"

End. On to Ch. 2 - Black-Haired Girl))


	2. Chapter 2

/ AN: Thanks for everyone's patience. I took a small break from the "Shinigami and Solo" series. I think the reason I was a little "bleh" about the beginning of this was that I wasn't able to have any artistic flexibility. (What with the original dialogue and action), so after this part I am going to keep it as super-cannon as possible but there will be no "replay" of episodes. I just didn't want to change up the things that ACTUALLY happened. The rest of this fic will be things that happened "between the lines". So, anyway, this story is taking the forefront for a while. I am going through a lot of personal stuff and GW is always a great therapeutic way of dealing with my problems. - BHG /

* * *

Ch 2: Looking for the place where we smile again…

Part 1

Duo crouched behind a long counter at the nurse's station and waited for one of the medical doctors to enter one of the patient's rooms. His mission to sneak into the hospital undetected had gone swimmingly, and despite the heightened security on every floor he had managed to slip through rather effortlessly. It was amazing how little anyone seemed to notice a boy in all black with two large backpacks and a metal stick, but he supposed that the sick and dying came in all forms and that the medical workers just took the strange and unusual to be normal.

So they had paid him no mind. However, the higher he got in the building the more difficult his task became. It seemed that they kept the high risk patients on the higher levels and that was why the security guards had all but doubled since the last floor.

A doctor, or perhaps surgeon, had finished looking in a chart and was now sauntering towards one of the closed doors at the far end of the hallway. Duo leaned down close to the ground and peeked around the corner of the station's counter to look at the opposite end of the hall where the stairwell was. He would have to get there, and ascend three more floors before he would find the highest level security sector of the hospital, where he assumed they had taken the strange boy from the naval base.

Duo frowned at the thought and quickly shook his head, his messy bangs flopping wildly against his half-lidded eyes. No… he couldn't think on that now, it would only cloud his head. It was imperative that his focused. He couldn't afford to make any mistakes, not this far into his personal mission.

As he peered down the stark, rather empty hallway he saw that a security guard was hovering around the stairwell. The man was on his cell phone talking heatedly with someone, despite the large sign behind the man's head to signify that the use of cell phones was prohibited. Duo found some amusement in watching the man break the very rules he was paid to uphold.

He waited for a few long minutes for the man to move from the stairwell door, but the guard just wouldn't step away.

_Time for a distraction…_ Duo thought with a wide grin. He searched the barren halls of the unit until he found a tall, blue cart. It was just as tall as he was, and filled with clean white linen. _Perfect…_ he searched the halls, and when he felt nobody would see him he slid out from behind the nurses' station and jumped behind the cart. The guard was now turned in the opposite direction and grumbling loudly into his cell phone. So, with a hard shove Duo sent the linen cart careening down the hallway in the opposite direction of the guard towards a set of closed doors. He then slid back behind the nurses' station and waited. He could hear the high-pitched sound of the cart's wheels straining against the floor as it sped towards the doors. Then with a loud bang the cart smashed to a stop. The sound startled the guard, who then snapped his cell phone closed and ran to the source of the noise.

"Idiot…" Duo whispered under his breath as he watched the man shuffle towards the now upturned cart. A few of the nurses came forth from their patient's rooms to see what the commotion was about. This was Duo's chance, and he took it without hesitation. He quickly ran down the hall and ducked soundlessly into the empty stairwell.

With wide, even strides he ran up the stairs until he came to the fiftieth floor. He smiled in accomplishment. It had taken him the entire morning to get to this point and he knew that his target was nearby. The thought of the other boy made his smile fade and a solemn expression graced his face.

"I wonder if he really is…" Duo bit his lower lip to silence himself and began fingering the thick coil of braid at the nape of his neck. After rummaging through his thick hair for a few moments he pulled forth a lock pick and with a focused expression began working at the complex lock on the door to the fiftieth floor.

Part 2

As Heero began to regain consciousness he immediately began to scan his surroundings. He could feel the sensors on his head and chest as well as the four-point restraints that held him firmly to an examination table. The faint, steady beeping sound of his heart rate was the only noise he could detect. The heart monitor stammered as he began to grow anxious but immediately he restrained his first instincts to break free and willed himself to stay calm. He slowed his breathing to a steady, even pace and in doing so kept his heart rate low and unwavering.

_**I've been captured. This is the treatment room on the fiftieth floor of the Alliance Military number three medical building in the South J.A.P. area.**_

He relaxed against the cold metal of the examination table and listened closely to his surroundings. Once he was certain that he was alone he let his eyes crack open. He squinted at the bright, white light above his head before rolling his eyes from one side of the room to the other to assess his surroundings. He had been in one of the Alliance Military hospitals before but never in a room as secure as this one.

His eyebrow twitched in agitation. _Damn… this is going to be more difficult than I thought._ He strongly resisted the urge to frown. _I can't believe it… _ his thoughts began to drift to the event that had led him to his current predicament.

He had tried to use three missiles to blow up his Gundam, which was not operational and at risk of being found by OZ. He had meticulously planned each degree of coordinate. He was confident that his plan would have worked, that is if it weren't for that girl.

_Relena…_ his breathing became irregular at the thought of the girl who had seen him on the beach, and then again at the academy. _She followed me … she just won't stop interfering…_

Then his thoughts wavered and he held his breath completely. _And Duo…_ the encounter with the braided boy had almost been lost to him considering all that had happened. _Duo… shot me._ The idea was almost absurd. After all, Heero had been keeping track of Duo for so long that the idea of the other by sneaking up on him to take a few cheap shots on his body was surreal. And the Deathsycthe pilot had his Gundam, no less! Heero willed himself to relax. He wasn't sure if he should be angry or happy. It had been a long time since he had any sort of conflicting emotions and the feelings he had now were practically unbearable.

A screen flickered to his right and immediately his gaze locked onto it. As if by some magical summons Duo's face appeared in the screen. His mouth began to move so Heero began to read his lips.

"**I see you've got no choice but to lie there. I'm sure a talented guy with your skills would be able to read my lips. Well, can ya?"** Duo's image stated silently.

Heero felt a wave of anger sweep through his body. _First he shoots me, and then he shows up here to taunt me about it._ For a fleeting moment all Heero wanted to do was throw his head back and have a bitter laugh at his current situation. Instead, he closed his eyes and shut out the image of the other boy.

_It has been years since we last met…_ his mind began to swirl with the past, things he had buried deep down for so long. Images of Odin Lowe, of the assassination of Heero Yuy, of his guardian's murder, of hiding on L2 colony and his first encounter with the American orphan… it was all coming back to fill his mind. A thick haze of emotion began to settle on his senses and block out all sound and sensation. _He made it to Earth. Maybe he remembers… no, he couldn't. We were so young… _ He gritted his teeth and tried to push back the flood of memories. _But if I remember… he must… right? Is that why he is here?_

His thoughts were interrupted by a loud explosion. Air rushed over his restrained body, followed by a rain of debris. He opened his eyes and looked to his right once more. The image of Duo had been replaced by smiling reality.

"**Time to liven things up, buddy!" **The other boy said cheerfully as he approached. Alarms blared from all directions and red lights began to pulse and flash from the large blasted hole through which Duo had come. Heero studied the other boy as he came near.

_He looks like the same Duo…_ Heero concluded as the American boy began pulling and tugging at his restraints.

"**Damn! How do you get these things off?"** Duo asked in a frustrated tone while pulling forth a knife from his boot.

Heero's eyebrow twitched as he watched Duo waste time on one of the leg restraints. He could hear shouts of guards and frightened medical workers from somewhere nearby. With a quick yank he pulled his hand from a wrist restraint. The heavy material ripped forth, but not before tearing at Heero's skin. He ignored the pain. With a rough gesture he thrust his hand at the braided boy and glared at him in annoyance.

"**Hand me your knife. I'll cut them down the middle."**

Duo stared wide-eyed at his bloody hand. "**Ewww, what'd you do to your hand?"** Then he handed Heero the knife and watched as he sliced off the leg restraints. "**Damn, you've got some guts!**"

After liberating his body from the table Heero slid down to a wobbly stand and looked to Duo. They stared at each other for a moment before Duo blinked and turned to run down a corridor.

"Come on! Let's go!" Duo yelled at Heero. The Japanese boy had no other choice but to follow. They came to a wall that was quickly removed by a grenade. Then Duo handed Heero a parachute pack and ran towards the smoking hole he had created. Heero watched as the braided boy vanished through it with a giant leap. He followed obediently, still in a daze about this entire experience.

_Duo is saving me…_ He jumped from the hole in the wall and began to fall. Air rushed past and battered against his body. _Why would he unless he knew… but … it isn't supposed to happen this way. I don't have a mobile suit. I can't continue like this… I…_

He closed his eyes as despair swam over his body. He had sacrificed years of his life to intense training bordering torture. Finally the day had come when he would help to liberate the colonies. His mission, the only other thing that mattered, was compromised. It was all for nothing. Had he wasted his life for nothing?

"_**HEERO!"**_

The sound of the assassinated leader's name being yelled with such intensity from a familiar voice startled him out of his deep, frantic thoughts. He opened his eyes and saw the ground below him rushing up at amazing speed.

_I'm not Odin Lowe Jr. anymore. I'm not "Solo". I am Heero Yuy. I will survive. I will defend the colonies._ He grasped the parachute pull and yanked it free. The parachute slipped from the backpack and dragged through the air, but it was too late. It could not lift him to safety. Instead it slowed his fall enough for him to land on a rocky slope on his feet. The rocks came loose and caused him to slide haphazardly down the slope. He lost his balance and began to tumble over and over again, his weak body striking the flat sheets of rock multiple times before he came to a stop in the sand.

His physical pain wasn't an issue. He did, however, feel that his femur had been fractured in the fall and a searing stab of pain emanated from his arm. He slowly pulled himself up to a stand, careful not to add damage to his battered body.

"**Dammit, I shouldn't have released my parachute**…" Heero mumbled to himself as he came to an unsteady stand. Duo was approaching him cautiously with a confused expression on his face.

"**Now I can understand you wanting to take you own life, but maybe, just maybe, you should think of another way of committing suicide, buddy**." The braided boy said in a flat voice. Heero sighed and had nothing else to say. He just stood there staring at Duo, wondering if the American boy was going to shoot him again, or continue to help him. _Does he know who I am…?_

Duo slid up beside Heero and hooked the Japanese boy's arm over his shoulder to help him stand. "Come on, Howard is gonna be at the pick-up point any minute." Then he began dragging Heero alongside him towards the beach. A boat was approaching in the distance, partially concealed by the bobbing waves and whitecaps of the ocean. Heero tried to bear weight on his injured leg but found it difficult. He stifled an urge to groan and kept his eyes downcast.

_I can't believe I am here. _Heero kept repeating over and over in his head. _Why did he save me? Why isn't he carrying out his orders? Coming here is compromising everything we have worked for…_

Once they made it to the edge of the water the boat was getting closer. A strange looking man in a Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses was standing in the boat waving a hand at Duo. Duo returned the gesture before gripping Heero's waist tighter.

"I knew I would see you again, Solo."

Heero frowned and kept his gaze locked down at their feet, which were now sinking in the white sand.

"I'm not Solo." He said softly, his voice barely above a whisper. Duo didn't seem to hear him.


End file.
